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tsopinski

Right from the start, evaluation played a key role in developing Discovering Local History, a collaborative project of the Webb- Deane-Stevens Museum and the public schools of Wethersfield, Connecticut. Classroom teachers, local journalists and historians, and museum staff worked in an on-going partnership to shape a successful local history program …

Docents can make humor a work for them, especially with children’s tours. A laugh together early in a tour establishes rapport and friendship between the group and the docent. What are the benefits of humor? Most of all, it makes children (and the adults with them) feel good to laugh. …

We did it! You all came through, and we successfully funded the digitization of The Docent Educator. Stay tuned for updates, and funder rewards, and thank you all for your support. When we started this effort we thought it might demonstrate this community’s appetite for supporting projects we all believe …

A “How-To” from the Creators of Verso Job roles for museum creatives don’t tend to jibe mid course. Instead, most of us chart a trajectory and steer it to shore, adapting along the way. But what if a tool emerges that capsizes conventions and puts in play skills waiting to …

While I was writing my guide to interpretive writing about art, I started a list of “museum speak” – words that are common among museum workers but often confound the public. (Read this guide online now in your current browser or download a printable pdf.) The list never made it …

Couldn’t make it to the conference? Watch it here. Art Museums and Distance Learning Pt. 1 Art Museums and Distance Learning Pt. 2 Crystal Bridges partnered with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s National Center for Research on Rural Education to conduct an extensive literature review of museums and distance learning. You …

Here’s a problem I’ve been mulling over for years. Imagine you’re a teacher and you’re looking for online resources about ancient Egypt for your students. You’re aware that museums have ancient Egyptian artifacts in their collections, and vaguely aware that museums sometimes put resources for teachers on their websites. Where …

The Museum-Ed Discussion List is Museum-Ed’s most popular resource by far. Every month we recap the “Hot Topic” from the Discussion List for the Museum Education Monitor (MEM). If you don’t subscribe to the MEM, do consider it – it’s an invaluable resource on museum education research. Check it out …

During the recent NAEA museum pre-conference day in Fort Worth TX, attendees participated in a co-creation exercise in the galleries of the Modern Art Museum. It was so much fun I had to share it. Liz Lloyd from the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio TX passed out little …

If you’re a fan of John Stewart on the Daily Show you’ve seen his critique of CNN and its use (or misuse) of social media. On a recent show Stewart played a clip of CNN summarizing three major news stories, then inviting viewers to text their choice of the story …

Focus on Interpretive Writing The Museum-Ed Online Conference took place completely online on February 20th and 21st, 2008. Facilitators led live interactive workshops, engaged in threaded discussion forums, and led collaborative networking activities. To see the recordings of all the conference sessions, visit this link and click the “Join” …